Chapter 2: Early Civilizations

Front 1

polytheism

Back 1

belief in many gods

Front 2

cuneiform

Back 2

the earliest known form of writing

Front 3

ziggurats

Back 3

Sumerian temple towers

Front 4

empire

Back 4

the rule of one people over another

Front 5

Sargon I

Back 5

2350 BC this ruler came to power and built the first known empire

Front 6

astronomy

Back 6

the study of stars (celestial bodies)

Front 7

astrology

Back 7

interpretation of human events and destiny by the position of the planets and stars

Front 8

Pharaoh

Back 8

Egyptian rulers that were very powerful, considered gods in human form

Front 9

hieroglyphics

Back 9

a picture writing used in ancient Egypt

Front 10

theocracy

Back 10

a people governed directly by God

Front 11

monotheism

Back 11

belief in only one god

Front 12

Babylonian Captivity

Back 12

In 586 BC the Chaldeans destroyed Jerusalem and carried many of the Jews back to Babylon. Lasted 70 yrs.

Front 13

Diaspora

Back 13

scattering; the dispersion of the Jewish people

Front 14

satrapies

Back 14

the provinces the Persian empire was divided into

Front 15

Hammurabi

Back 15

Sixth king of the Amorites, united the land of Mesopotamia (1795-1750 BC)

Front 16

Epic of Gilgamesh

Back 16

A noted example of Babylonian literature; an epic poem describing legendary hero Gilgamesh's search for eternal life

Front 17

Menes

Back 17

Egyptian man who united upper and lower Egypt, ruling them from the capital "White Walls" around 3000 BC

Front 18

Hatshepsut

Back 18

the first great woman ruler of Egypt; may be the daughter of Pharaoh

Front 19

Thutmose III

Back 19

the greatest Egyptian warrior-king; under his reign Egypt conquered Palestine and Syria

Front 20

Ramses II

Back 20

During his reign Egyptians once again embarked on building mammoth temples and monuments

Front 21

Baal

Back 21

Canaanites' gods

Front 22

Abraham

Back 22

a man called by God who would be the father of many (and a relative of the Messiah)

Front 23

Abrahamic Covenant

Back 23

the covenant God gave to Abraham that expresses God's plan for the redemption of the fallen world back to himself

Front 24

Jacob

Back 24

Isaac's son

Front 25

Joseph

Back 25

one of Jacob's sons

Front 26

Judah

Back 26

The most important of the twelve tribes, descendants of Jacob's twelve sons

Front 27

Moses

Back 27

a man, called by God, to lead the Israelites out of bondage and into the Promised Land

Front 28

Joshua

Back 28

Under his reign the Israelites entered the Promised Land and began their conquest of the land of Canaan

Front 29

David

Back 29

a man "after God's own heart" from his family the promised Messiah would come

Front 30

Solomon

Back 30

the kingdom of Israel reached it's peak during his reign; David's son

Front 31

Sargon II

Back 31

led the Assyrian army and destroyed Samaria in 722 BC

Front 32

Sennacherib

Back 32

led the Assyrians who tried to take Jerusalem from Hezekiah, king of Judah

Front 33

Nebuchadnezzar

Back 33

during his reign the "New Babylonia" reached it's its height

Front 34

Belshazzar

Back 34

the co-ruler of the Babylonian empire when the fingers appeared and wrote on the palace walls

Front 35

Cyrus

Back 35

one of the greatest Persian conquerors who ever lived

Front 36

Zoroaster

Back 36

the religious leader who founded the religion of ancient Persia (Ahura Mazda); lived during the sixth century BC

Front 37

Avesta

Back 37

The sacred writings of Zoroastrianism, consisting of myths, regulations, and hymns of praise

Front 38

Darius the Great

Back 38

under his reign the Persian empire reached it's height, expanding all the way to Greece, where Persian expansion was halted

Front 39

Mesopotamia

Back 39

the region of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Front 40

Ur

Back 40

powerful city-state, may be the birthplace of Abraham

Front 41

Babylon

Back 41

the capital city the Amorites established in the "Old Babylonian" empire

Front 42

Tyre

Back 42

the leading Phoenician city-state during the 8th and 9th centuries BC

Front 43

Damascus

Back 43

one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, became a capital of international trade, established by Arameans

Front 44

Hammurabi's Law Code

Back 44

the laws that governed human conduct of the Amorite civilization

Front 45

Old Kingdom

Back 45

2700-2200 BC "age of the pharoahs" known for Khufu Cheops) and the great pyramids

Front 46

Middle Kingdom

Back 46

2100-1640 BC "age of peace and prosperity" work projects for the whole country, Israelites move to Egypt

Front 47

New Kingdom

Back 47

1570-1075 BC age of warrior kings; Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amehotep, Rameses II